A Rider's Frustration
by Illusions of Dreaming
Summary: Horses are ordinary. Ranger horses.. not so ordinary. TUG the ranger horse, even more so, and Will Treaty knows it only too well. Story of Will learning to ride.
1. Just Another Peaceful Day

**Author's Note:** Hello and welcome to this FanFic for Ranger's Apprentice! C: This will be my first FF for Ranger's Apprentice and I hope it'll turn out all right in the end! This short story, (around several chapters) is about Will and Tug's first bonding. Here in this story, you'll find a particular stubborn ranger constantly being thrown off, getting up and trying again. Rest assured, no horses (or rangers) were harmed in the making of this fiction. Enjoy~

* * *

**Illusions of Dreaming proudly presents:**

_A Rider's Frustration_

**Chapter 1: Just Another Peaceful Day…**

The color blue was slowly leaking away from the sky, leaving orange and red hues dimly lighting the lands of Araluen. But soon, they too would be drained from the sky, leaving only the darkness of night to keep watch.

A dark hooded figure rides slowly along the side of the cliff that hangs over the sea, occasionally a soft sea breeze would pass by, gently caressing the rider in a soothing, calming way. While the stranger seem to slump slightly in his seat, only true professionals would notice that the cloaked figure is all but relaxed.

Watching the sea crashing onto the rocks below him, Will sighed in content, his eyes roaming the cliff area once more, but as usual, found nothing too alarming or out of place. It's another peaceful, riot and trouble-free day at Seacliff Fief. While it's still a bit unsettling for the young full-fledged ranger to leave the comforting company of a certain grumpy presence, Will can't deny that being in charge of Seacliff Fief is like living in a little slice of heaven.

Now if only there was a little bit more action.

Half daydreaming, (but not at all unaware of his surroundings) Will focused on the slight rocking below him that carried him. The slight movements that did not belong to him, yet acted as a substitute for his legs to travel around. Will was fascinated by how accustomed he was to the slow rocking of his horse that it almost felt like it's a part of him.

Clamped in between his legs, was the ranger horse-_his_ ranger horse, Tug. The shaggy, small, grey horse that looked nothing like the grand battle horses that a knight would ride to save a princess locked in a tower. Nothing about this strange, short (if not a bit stubby as well) horse screamed special; Will shook his head slightly as a small grin stretched across his face. Because Tug (while looking nothing like a good horse) was hiding some serious talent beneath that long fur coat of his, and Will knew better than to judge a horse by it's shaggy coat.

Will leaned down and gave the grey horse an affectionate pat and Tug in return, nickered softly in reply, turning his big head slightly to the side to eye him curiously.

Will regarded Tug as a close companion of his, no- a close _friend_, they've formed a bonding over the years and after their separation at Skandia, they learned to treasure each other's presence much, much more. The ranger chuckled softly as he leaned back and deeply into his seat, his body once more following the slow rocking rhythm of Tug's slow walking gait. Though things looked perfect, their bonds inseparable… Will Treaty still remembered the times when Tug was all but an obedient little ranger horse. Those painful days filled with sweat, blood, bruised backs and lots, _lots_ of dislocated shoulders…

_To be continued…_

* * *

Are you still reading? C: Whee! So I hope you guys like the first chapter :3 it's just a little _prologue_ to the real deal starting next chapter! A little more info about this fic, I'm just writing a short story of Tug and Will's bonding and mainly just Will learning how to ride. Because as a horse rider myself, I just can't believe how Will, who never rode a horse in his life could just get on Tug and just wing it. xD I mean, I've been learning for years and I still can't safely _gallop_ on my horse, don't even mention jumping :U So I'm just adding a little tidbit FF on Will learning to ride. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If you're feeling nice perhaps drop a review or two? C':


	2. And it's Still Early!

**Chapter 2: And it's Still Early!**

It's early morning, the sun just barely peeping out from behind the cluster of faraway mountains and already Will the ranger's apprentice is feeling like a walking zombie. The apprentice had finished all household work in admirable time and fashion and is now left feeling exhausted and workless.

Halt the grim ranger is sitting in his usual chair, sipping his morning cup of coffee and running through reports and like usual, ignoring Will's presence to a certain irritating extent. With a sigh the apprentice notes down the placement of the sun on the sky, figuring that it's still a few hours until archery training, he turned to his mentor with slight hesitance in his movement.

"I've finished everything." He started softly, carefully watching the grim-faced ranger's expression.

"Mhm." Was Halt's reply as he sipped his coffee, eyes never leaving the lines on the papers.

Judging that this would probably be the best time to ask his mentor a question without being shot back with a biting remark, the ranger's apprentice quickly tumbled out the rest of his request.

"Sincethere'stime,canItakeTugforawalk?" The boy held his breath, eyes widening ever so slightly as he waited for his mentor's reply, half expecting an earful of criticism.

Two expressionless eyes glanced above the reports as Halt grunted at his apprentice, a sound that sounded a bit annoyed and frustrated, but none the less, the only sound Will needs to hear.

Biting back the urge to jump up and yell in delight, the ranger's apprentice rushes out through the cabin doors before his mentor could take his word back. Excited and happy, the young ranger ran towards the direction of the stables.

The early morning sun sends in weak pillars of golden light that illuminates the forest in mysterious and mystical ways. The brown haired boy however, was too excited to fully appreciate the nature surrounding him. Crashing into the stables the young boy called out a quick greeting to Abelard before literally skipping over to Tug, his horse. The thought of owning his own horse sent another shiver of thrill down his spine as he gently pat the soft muzzle of the grey pony. Tug responded with a soft nicker, pushing into his palm as if he's looking for more comfort.

"Aren't you just perfect?" Will whispered, more to himself than to the horses, drumming his fingers lightly on the soft muzzle. Unused to this strange treatment the shaggy grey pony sneezed, shaking it's mane as he stomped his hooves in distaste. Will getting the hint withdrew his hand and laughed softly, walking away to get the riding equipment.

"It's a fair day today," the boy murmured as he picked up Tug's riding bridle and heaved the heavy saddle onto his shoulder. "Great for a nice ride through the forest too." The brown haired boy continued, talking softly just to chase silence away from the stables. Struggling with all the equipment the apprentice walks back to the stall and in one swift agile movement, swung inside.

"I can't wait to feel the wind in my face again." Will chuckled softly as he ran his hand quickly over the grey pony's exposed neck. Everything was going fine as he saddled up the grey pony who stood very still, obviously trained and used to this treatment. Will couldn't keep a small smile off his face at how well things seem to progress, humming a soft joyful tune as he pushes open the stall door and began to lead his horse outside.

His foot barely passed the boundaries of the horse's stall before he was suddenly jerked to a stop. Glancing back in surprise, Will found the grey pony standing there with a surprised glance that mirrors his own that asked 'what?' innocently (or as innocent a horse can make it look). Somewhat confused Will began to lead Tug out of his stall again but was pulled to a halt once more. Once again the young apprentice swiveled around to glance at his horse with a critical eye, finding the grey pony standing still within his stall not budging an inch from his current spot.

Frowning slightly Will tried to encourage his horse, "Come on now Tug." He murmured softly, tugging on the reigns lightly to coax the stubborn pony out. Tug nickers softly, those brilliant eyes shining brightly with amusement. Will tried again, "You're saddled up boy, let's go out and have a walk." Whistling softly to see what effect that would have. The horse in response whinnies shrilly and stomps his leg in an action that faintly resembles laughing.

By now, a slight irritation had begun to creep into the young apprentice as he frowns deeper and pulls harder on the reigns. Instead, it'd caused the opposite effect as Tug, thinking it's a game, jerks back as well, pulling a surprised apprentice forward with a strangled yelp, nickering happily at the result.

Will, who nearly fell face flat on the stall floorings, narrowly avoiding a pile of inconvenient placed manure, jerks on the reigns with a grunt and surprisingly, Tug responded well to the jerk with one of his own special tugs.

It wasn't long until the two had begun an amusing game of tug-of-war that ended quite quickly since a small ranger could never hope to overpower a horse, shaggy or not. Tug seem to enjoy this little 'game', flicking his reigns back at the small ranger whenever he loses hold of them as if he's telling Will to catch and play again. Will on the other hand was beginning to feel desperate as he loses the game of force over again and again.

After the thirteenth time of losing his grip on the reigns, Will gave up and with an angry huff walks out the stables leaving a very confused and disappointed grey pony in the stall.

A minute later however, a hand pokes out holding a delicious red fruit tempting the smaller horse out. Stepping into the light Will flicks the apple held in his palm and beckons to Tug once more.

"You want it don't you?" Will smirks lightly as he threw the apple up and down, tempting the shaggy pony. His grin widen when Tug's hooves moved out of the stalls, one by one. Feeling victorious the young boy began to reach for the reigns…

When the grey pony suddenly changed into a mad canter towards him within a few paces, charging straight towards a surprised and unfortunate young ranger.

Few seconds later, Will found himself running at full speed from the stables, apple clamped in one hand with a mad horse chasing after him and a single cry of help ripped through the air.

"HAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLT!"

x x x

Meanwhile, a certain disgruntled mentor sat in his chair, flipping through the last page of the reports. His hand reached out for his coffee mug and brought it to his lips to find it empty. Grumbling softly, he places down the report and picked up his mug, eyes roaming around his spotlessly clean cabin.

Once he had taken his eyes off the papers, he finally realizes and appreciates the hard work the young boy had done. When he lived by himself, he'd always been too busy to clean his cabin everyday and dust had begun to gather due to the limited dusting he does. Grunting softly in appreciation, the coffee loving ranger absently raised his empty mug to his lips again and once more, was disappointed and frustrated to find it empty.

Stretching his stiff back, the grim faced ranger walked towards his coffee pot, ready to pour another cup for himself to finish that last half of a page when a terror filled shriek through the area.

The ranger paused in his motion, his ranger honed instincts flaring in warning but he forced it down as he recognizes the shriek. Two graying eyebrows knitted together as he gently placed down his mug again. Perhaps it's still a bit too early for him to take in another apprentice, the old ranger thought as he shook his head.

"What trouble did he get himself into this time?" the bearded ranger growled, walking towards his door with the famous grumpy frown of his, for Halt the ranger, hates it when his name is screamed for all of Araluen to hear but most of all, he hates it when his coffee mug is left empty.

x x x

Legs pumping hard with adrenaline running on high, Will ran like the wind towards the cabin. He could hear the second set of pounding steps just mirroring his own yet carries a much, much more dangerous tone to it.

The apple he held a few moments ago had long been consumed when Will threw it aside to throw the horse off his trail, however Tug seem to be chasing Will just for fun now. Reaching the cabin, Will threw himself at the door and when they opened suddenly, his arms meeting no resistance to his desperate hurl knocked his balance askew and all things went downhill from there.

x x x

Halt opened the door and was greeted by his apprentice crashing into his chest, knocking the breath out of him as they fell down together in a messed up pile of tangled limbs. As both rangers squirmed to untangle themselves, one particularly annoyed ranger couldn't help but send a death glare at his apprentice.

"WILL!"

The shout was strict and cold enough to freeze hell twice over as Halt angrily pushed his apprentice off his chest, sending a scathing glare that made the young boy cower from the force of it.

"I-it was Tug, h-he was chasing me." The boy gasped, attempting to explain the situation and hopefully tone down the glare a level or two.

"And crashing into me is the best solution you can find." Halt's eyes narrowed dangerously as he picked himself up, his apprentice gulped swallowed nervously as he fingered with his collar that suddenly grew too tight.

"N-no, I p-panicked an-and w-well-"

"You found that my cabin would be the best place to run into for hiding?"

"No! I just-"

"Then do you have an excuse for running down your mentor?"

"But Tug was-"

"Tug is standing outside like an obedient dog doing nothing."

"Yes! I mean- No! What?!"

Halt watched as the brown haired boy turned around to look out the door in surprise, and there was Tug, standing still and peacefully grazing the lush grass. The experienced ranger watched as his apprentice's jaw work quickly, open and closing with no sound coming out. In Halt's book, silence means the other is guilty. The mentor's eyes narrowed deviously as Will finally turned back to meet his eyes, his face a tone paler than usual.

"Since you have so much energy running and tackling others, we might as well do something about it hmn?" Halt's statement was laced with devilish intent and cruelty it sent a bad shiver of foreboding down Will's spine.

"Lie down, twenty sit ups now."

Will's eyes widened as he spluttered quickly in his defense, "But Tug-"

"Thirty."

"-he was"

"Forty."

"-he really"

"Sixty."

Will clamped his mouth shut and laid down on the cold cabin floor in resignation, watching as his grim faced mentor step out of the room. What did he do to deserve this?

While Halt was out of the room, Will shuffled over slightly to sit on the rug, if he's going to do sixty sit ups, he might as well have some cushioning underneath right? Just then, Halt came back carrying two buckets of water, eyebrow raised as he notices Will's new position.

"On the floor."

Just those three words sent despair crashing on the young apprentice as his expression turned into one of utter defeat as he scooted onto the cold wooden flooring of the cabin. Will watched as Halt carefully placed the two buckets of water on his feet, which weighed his feet down painfully.

"Well? Those sit ups won't be finishing themselves any time now." Halt's scathing glare sent the boy doing his sit ups immediately as the now satisfied mentor went to finish what he meant to do before _someone_ rudely interrupted him. Picking up his neglected coffee mug, Halt refilled it slowly as he listened to the boy's grunts as he did his workout.

"Oh and for every drop of water you spill, it's ten more sit ups for you." Halt quipped in casually, hiding a small grin as a strained yelp followed by a loud splash of liquid came a second later, just like he predicted.

_To be continued…_

* * *

And that's chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed it because I definitely did! Chap 2 is longer than chapter 1 so I hope you guys like how it turned out in the end X'3

What will happen to Will now? and will Will ever get his revenge on Tug? Watch out for chapter 3! ouo/

Feeling nice? Drop a review and help me understand my faults and help me improve! PSST! */U/* I love being praised too 3


	3. Do You Know the Word Sympathy?

**Chapter 3: Do You Know the Word Sympathy?**

"One… hun…dred… fifty."

Halt noted down with a bit of satisfaction as the once energized looking apprentice collapsed on the ground gasping and sweating like a fish fished out from the waters (granted that fish don't actually sweat). Those sit-ups did their job, he mused quietly as he took another sip at his mug.

In the end, Will had to do a hundred fifty sit-ups as punishment for _ruining_ Halt's rug. A hundred fifty sit-ups was nothing, in fact, Halt thinks he had let Will off the hook easy this time. But since rangers try not to build brick hard muscles to keep their body flexible and movements agile, a hundred fifty body building workout should be enough, _for now_. And no, it's definitely not because he felt a bit sympathetic after he saw Will's absurd shocked face when he emptied the entire content of the bucket on the rug.

"Tired?" The grim faced ranger couldn't help but smirk at his apprentice's misfortune.

"N..no." Will huffed, indignation written all over his face as the stubborn boy refused to back down after such injustice.

"Oh?" Halt raised a curious eyebrow at his apprentice's statement, casually looked to the side as he sipped his coffee, "Then I suppose you can do some push-ups as well-"

"No!" Came the tired cry of his apprentice as he slumped on the ground in exhaustion. "I'm tired, REALLY tired." Will gasped, throwing what little pride he still held and the stubborn determination to act strong out the windows.

"Hmph." Halt grunted as he finished his third mug of coffee this morning. Glad to see the boy's ego patted down for now, glancing out his open door he frowned as the grey pony outside continued to stray farther and farther away.

"Bring Tug back to the stables." Halt murmured as he placed down his empty mug in the sink and walked to his room. Walking out again a minute later carrying his long bow at his back, cowl pulled over his head. "Oh, and clean up your mess." Halt nodded at his wet rug and the sweat marks all over his cabin floor.

The grim-faced ranger stepped over his apprentice and started to leave when Will's curiosity got the better of him.

"Where are you going?" the young boy blurted out before he could stop himself.

The legendary ranger paused in his steps, turned around and gave his apprentice a very long look. As the silence grew, the apprentice began to fidget uncomfortably before finally realizing that it's probably not his place to question his mentor's actions, and probably more so if your mentor is the legendary grumpy faced Halt.

"Have a nice trip?" Will squeaked softly, and the door slammed closed muting the relieved sigh that came afterwards.

x x x

At the stables, a tired Will led a happy grey horse to his stall and couldn't help but notice the smug aura the shaggy pony had been wearing for a time now. His abdomen felt like it's on fire and the muscles along his back stung with every little movement he made. Contrary to his skipping horse, he felt very, very tired.

Knowing that this horse caused his current state, he couldn't help but feel a bit vengeful as he brushed past Tug. As much as he'd like to take his anger out on Tug right now, he's just too tired to care or even move a finger more than to unsaddle Tug and get the hell out of there.

But even if he couldn't make any physical move against his horse right now, Will chose to deal the silent treatment, fully intent on ignoring his horse for the rest of the day.

Tug seemed to have sensed the foul mood for he began to call to Will, nickering and whinnying to catch his attention. The apprentice stepped out of the stables when Tug whinnied in one last desperate attempt.

The young boy paused in his step, mentally cursing himself for being weak, then with some reluctance, picks up an apple by the side and walks back, handing the treat to Tug and left the stables.

x x x

"Will you please stop sagging like an old nanny?" Came Halt's irritated remark as the annoyed ranger lifted Will's bow arm to the appropriate level.

"I'm still sore." Will moaned in his defense, his muscles stiff and complaining as he struggled to maintain his pose.

"Do I care?" Halt snapped as he cuffed the young boy around the ears, then pointed at the target set up in front.

With a sigh, Will released the arrow knocked on the string and the aerial weapon flew, cutting through air as swiftly as a bird and landing… a meter off it's destined mark.

Will winced inwardly, listening as Halt slapped his forehead in exasperation, muttering to himself something along the lines of 'mistakes' and 'apprentices'. Biting his lower lip, Will knocked another arrow on his bow and raised it to eye level.

It's not his fault that his body is complaining with every movement he makes, that hundred and fifty sit-ups had taken its toll on the small stature of the boy. All Will felt like doing was to lie in bed for the rest of the day and do nothing.

Halt of course, would have none of his whining and persisted in following their planned schedule, despite Will's best attempts at convincing him. Sometimes the young apprentice really has to wonder if Halt was even capable of feeling the simple emotion called'sympathy'.

"Anytime before dinner would be nice." Halt's sudden dry remark by his ear shocked the young apprentice out of his day-dream and caused him to let fly his arrow prematurely, sending it flying into the dark depths of the forest. Will's heart sank as his eyes followed the invisible trail of the arrow into the forest; he's going to have a hard time retrieving that one after training.

For once, both apprentice and mentor sighed together. This was going to be a long, long day.

x x x

"At the rate you're stirring at, we won't be able to eat until next morning."

Will groaned inwardly, was it just him, or was Halt enjoying this a bit too much?

The sore, tired, exhausted and pretty much irritated apprentice stirred the pot again where their stew sat; it's aromatic scent wafting and filling every corner of the small forest cabin.

Secretly, Halt was quite impressed at how fast the young boy seem to catch onto things at times, but as usual the skilled ranger masked his true thoughts and emotions with ease. It's just another secret Will will never know. _Also_, the ranger reminded himself softly, _it doesn't matter how good it smells if the final product tastes horrible_.

The older ranger kept his expression neutral (perhaps grim would be a better word, since it's his default expression) as Will sets down a bowl of stew for his mentor. Exhausted, the apprentice slumped down in his chair and rests his head on his arms, watching Halt's expression warily as his mentor tested his stew.

The creamy dish melted instantly in Halt's mouth, as his taste buds exploded with a multitude of different flavors that compliments each other perfectly like tea and milk. It was stew heaven, with chucks of rabbit meat cooked just right to give the dish some 'texture' as Halt would call it.

For a moment, Halt was at a loss for words. He'd expected a poorly made dish, something burnt and maybe poisonous and once again he was proven wrong and was amazed at the boy's talents, not that he'll ever admit it.

His expression was carefully composed throughout the whole process, as he sets down his spoon he cleared his throat softly.

"It's… better than I'd expected." The gruff ranger admitted slowly, stirring the dish. "It could use more salt though." He added quickly as he glanced up, surprised to find that Will had fallen asleep.

Slightly taken aback, the stunned ranger was shocked and annoyed that his apprentice would dare fall asleep while he's talking, dropping his spoon back into his bowl as he mentally reflects on how boys these days don't have manners anymore. But after a brief moment of mental debate on whether or not he should shove Will off his chair and give him an earful of 'the importance of listening to your mentors', Halt clamped his mouth shut and decided to eat his stew quietly instead.

He should give the boy some slack, Halt knows he can be a real slave driver when he wants to and Will has been putting up with his harsh training without complaints. He had been working from early morning till night; he must be tired from all the housework and the hellish training he's required to do (not to mention the added hundred fifty sit-ups probably didn't help at all). Halt smirked at the memory of Will's shocked face as he finished the last of his meal and sets down his bowl.

The grim-faced mentor stood up, taking one last glance at Will's sleeping form before he went to retire to his own room for the night. He might have let Will off his lecture tonight, but Halt didn't grow _that_ soft to start carrying the idiot apprentice back to his room. He had done enough sympathetic actions for one day. While he can overlook Will falling asleep during one of his 'lessons' just this once, the boy will have to deal with the cramps he'll get in the morning from his bad choice of place to rest. Fitting punishment indeed, Halt nodded to himself as he stifled a yawn.

Stretching his own stiff back, the ranger went into his room and fell on his feather soft bed where sleep quickly claimed his consciousness, unaware of the existence of a small smug grin on his face.

x x x

Will woke with drool dripping out of his mouth and the cold surface of the dining table pressed against his face. He sat up groggily as his fuddled brain slowly worked to clear the sleepy haze clouding his thoughts.

As he leaned back to stretch in a yawn, the young apprentice yelped in pain as his muscles protested painfully. Grimacing, Will tried to soften his stiff muscles then gave up with a groan. Sleeping on the dining table is not a good idea, he swears he will never sleep on hard surfaces ever again.

"Slept well?" Halt walked into the dining room with his mug of coffee.

Will groaned in response, slumping down on the table.

"Thought so." His mentor snorted as he walked past his tired apprentice and towards the cabin door.

"I'll be stepping out for a moment. When I come back I want to see this place mopped and cleaned, firewood chopped, lunch on the table and you ready for your archery lessons, questions?" his mentor paused at the open door, turning his head to look at his exasperated looking apprentice.

"But-"

"Good." And the door slammed closed.

Will slumped down on the table with a groan, he's positive now, Halt's dictionary contains no word called 'sympathy'.

x x x

"I swear your owner enjoys torturing his apprentice Abelard." Will muttered grimly as he rested his hand against the giant nose, staring deep into two brilliant, intelligent eyes.

He'd just finished with archery practice and decided to sneak into the stables for a while before Halt comes back and piles more housework on him.

For sometime now, he'd been ignoring his little grey pony but after a lot of persistent nickering and snorts, Will gave up and went over to greet Tug as well.

"Are you feeling cooperative today?" the brown haired boy murmured slowly as he brushed his hand over the shaggy pony's neck, eyes trained and accessing the horse's mood. Tug rolled his big eyes at him in a peculiar expression that dares the younger apprentice to try and see.

Will snorted at his horse, a poor imitation of equine communication but the horses didn't bother correcting him as he walked to get the riding equipment ready.

Saddling the grey pony took a little less time each time as the younger apprentice slowly got used to the different buckles and straps, though tightening the girth strap around Tug's bulging belly proved to be more challenging.

Grunting with exertion, Will buckled the last strap, leaning back on the stable wall as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead that had gathered due to the humid atmosphere and poor ventilation within the stables.

"You're getting fat." Will muttered at his horse who returned a disagreeing snort. Shaking his head at the grey pony, the young boy opened the stall door ready to lead the stubborn pony out.

Already, he could feel the light tug on the reigns as the pony tensed up, but Will will not fall for the same trick twice. His hand travelled down to his pocket and drew out an apple and gave it to the pony.

"Halt would disagree." Will grinned as the pony devoured the fruit within a matter of seconds. "But what he doesn't know won't hurt." The brown haired boy chuckled as he patted the grey horse's soft muzzle, leading the now tamed horse out.

Inside their small sandy arena, Will faced his shaggy horse, meeting big orbs with determined brown eyes.

"Today, we'll try to be good friends. We'll try some slow walking, nothing too stressing." The grey horse didn't respond, so Will assumed they've reached a compromise for now.

Smiling, the apprentice walked towards the ranger horse's left side to mount. His hands grasped the edge of the saddle and his right foot immediately reached out to slip into the left stirrup. Excitement began to course through his veins at the thought of being finally close enough to ride Tug for the first time he'd brought him back, but he was smart enough to suppress his emotions to a certain level, for he knew how sensitive animals can be to strong emotions. Who knows what Tug will do when he senses Will's uncontrolled excitement, one apple can only buy a shaggy horse's compliance for so long.

Calming himself, the young apprentice slowly counted to three before pushing on his arms to heave himself onto the saddle. The motion should've placed the apprentice on the horse's back, except it didn't.

Will came stumbling and crashing face first on the saddle before slipping on the ground in an unorganized manner. Tug turned his head to snort at him, almost sounding as if he's questioning Will's sanity. _What made you do that?_ His expression questioned.

"Ooooooowww…." The apprentice moaned as he rubbed his sore nose that had collided first with the saddle side painfully. What happened? He was sure he could do it… his eyes suspiciously landed on his horse but any accusing thoughts were immediately dispelled, Tug didn't move an inch from his spot.

Frowning, the ranger neared his horse again, determined to try again. How did he do it again?

Two hands reached for the saddle, one placed near the pommel and the other placed at the cantle. His right leg lifted to slip into the stirrup… realization hit the young boy with the force of a flying arrow, the reason, the simple reason!

The boy let out an amused laugh as he realized his stupid mistake. Of course he couldn't mount, he was using his wrong leg to mount! Without noticing, he had instinctively used what felt most comfortable and normal to him, what he didn't notice was that by using his right leg to mount from the left stirrup, there's no way he could sit on Tug facing the right way!

Shaking his head slowly he adjusted his position as he slipped his left foot into the stirrup and placed his weight on his left leg, his arms helping him heft his small stature up.

Elation filled the boy when he felt himself being pulled up, but that too disappeared quickly when Will fell to the ground again.

He was in the right position, except this time, his arms gave way before he could properly sit himself atop of Tug. The shaggy grey horse rolled his big eyes and Will pretended not to notice.

Will tried again. Again he failed. He tried another time. The ground kissed his bottom again.

Irritation began to bite into the boy's emotion as he fought to reign in his annoyance. He was so close to riding Tug… Brown eyes began searching around the small sandy arena, the cogs in his mind clicking into place as his eyes rested on one particular object. A smile stretched itself on his face.

Will stood up ignoring Tug's curious nicker as he walked towards the discarded silver pail by the gates. Picking up the pail he carried it back to Tug's side and placed it on the ground.

The silver pail, usually used for carrying objects such as apples or water will now be used as a convenient, temporary (even if a bit unstable) step for mounting.

"I'm a genius." The boy chuckled, testing out his make-shift step. After all, being a ranger's apprentice is all about improvisation. The boy probably missed Tug's wary expression and his warning snort because if he did notice it, he would probably think twice about using the dented pail.

Slowly, Will eased half of his weight onto the unsteady step, the pail shuddering repulsively under his weight but the boy chose to ignore it. Taking in a deep breath, Will placed all his weight on the weak step and hauled himself upwards quickly, his motion knocking the pail askew.

_Yes!_ He did it… Will's happy thought ended in a confused tone as the boy realized he's stuck. Barely hanging on, his arms struggling to support all his weight, straining to pull himself up. His foot had slipped out of the stirrup and the pail had been knocked aside in his hurry to mount, leaving Will half dangling, half clinging onto Tug's saddle.

The drop of course was not far, Tug being a dwarf horse and all, but being so close to mounting, Will refused to back down.

Squirming and wriggling, Will tried to worm his way onto the saddle, Tug standing still and ignoring the great pains his rider is going through just to sit on him, earning him a glare from Will. The boy's muscles were screaming with pain from the previous day's workout and sleeping in a bad position, it wasn't surprising when the apprentice fell off with a grunt again.

"Pray tell, what are you trying to achieve?" a gruff voice laced with slight amusement sounded behind him and the young apprentice turned to find his mentor standing behind the arena's gates, watching with amused and curious grey eyes.

"H-how long have you been there?" Will stammered, straightening himself as he patted himself down, face growing red with embarrassment. The last thing he needs is another fault for Halt to pick at.

"Long enough." Came Halt's swift reply.

Will's face grew hot with embarrassment; the thought of his mentor watching him constantly falling off his horse was humiliating. _Just how much did Halt see?_ Will wondered as he shifted from side to side, burning from humiliation. He never noticed when his mentor had arrived; perhaps he was too concentrated on mounting that he'd forgotten to look around his environment as well…

"How long are you planning to stand there, red as a tomato?"

"Huh?" Will immediately snapped his mouth shut as Halt shot him an annoyed glare. Yes, apparently, words such as _Huh?_ _Ah?_ _Eh?_ are taboo around the famous ranger.

"Mount." Halt nodded at Tug, watching the color drain from Will's face.

"I…I-I can't." the apprentice whispered, his eyes suddenly finding the sandy ground beneath him very intriguing.

"Can't?" Halt's eyes narrowed at his apprentice. _Can't?_ the simple word echoed around the ranger's head as the memory of Will riding Tug like the wind on the first day at Old Bob's stables came to mind. He had always thought it was suspicious how Will could ride with ease despite it being his first time on a horse, surprising even, when he managed to leap over a log without falling off in the process.

_Must be this beginner's luck people are talking about._ Halt thought grimly as the bearded ranger ducked under the rails and walked towards his apprentice, ignoring the curious glint in the brown eyes. _Because that luck is not with him anymore_.

"I'll only say this once, so listen carefully." The ranger muttered grimly as he kneeled down on one knee beside Will, putting out one palm out as his other palm supported it from below.

Will's eyes widened with surprise, Halt couldn't possibly be suggesting that he…

"Foot in stirrup, hands on saddle, other foot in my hand, I'll give you a quick lift."

Will blinked, "I-I can't stand on you." He stammered, the thought of Halt kneeling down for him was surprising enough, stepping on him however…

Halt's cutting glare cut that train of thought, "I'm only doing this once, so get on!" the ranger snapped, his icy glare stopping any other thoughts of arguing with him.

Will slipped his left foot in the stirrup and placed his sweaty palms on the saddle, his right foot lifted to place gently in Halt's open palm.

"On the count of three, jump up and pull yourself up on the saddle, swing your right leg over and into the stirrup there. Understand?" Halt muttered gruffly.

Will swallowed, "Yes." He squeaked, his palms sweating profusely from the extra attention and pressure brought by Halt's presence beside him.

"Ok, one, two.."

The ranger's apprentice's eyes widened with shock, glancing back at his mentor with horror, "W-wait! I'm not ready-"

"-three." Halt stood up, putting all his strength in his palms and lifting the apprentice up.

The boy however, was not prepared for the sudden movement (nor did he expect such strength behind that old figure) his foot left the stirrup and sweaty palms lost their grips as the apprentice effectively sailed over his horse and landed on the opposite side, spread eagled on his back.

He was blinking stars out of his eyes, briefly seeing the outlines of his horse and the shape of his mentor peering from the opposite side at him. "Last I checked, Tug is a horse not a hurdle."

_You're telling me._ Will groaned and slumped back down on the ground.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Heehee C': Hai everyone!

I hope you enjoyed reading chapter x3! Sorry for the delay, but I got stuck on several parts (kicks writer's block) and the chapter grew too long at one point and I had to remove a scene from the chapter. However, I did keep that little cut-off scene, it's a Halt-Will interaction scene, if you're interested in reading it (it's like several paragraphs or so) say so in a review and I'll message the short extra scene to you! C: It's not an important scene and not reading it will not affect the understanding of the story xD so it's up to you to choose whether or not you're interested in reading the extra deleted scene.

Anyways, C': I hope you like this chappie! It's the longest one so far xD (and would be longer if I didn't remove a part from it), there's not much Will-Tug interaction/fight/struggle scenes yet, but I can assure you, they are coming up pretty soon, (probably in the next chapter) C': I hope it's worth it! xD

Please drop a few words or two to help me improve! :'3 any and all reviews are appreciated! Feel free to point out mistakes so I can improve in the next chapter! Thank you!


End file.
